The present invention relates to keys on a keyboard or keypad. More particularly, through not exclusively, the invention relates to locating keys for a computer or electronic keyboard or keypad which improves keyboard/keypad operating skills.
A substantial number of modern electronic devices are equipped with a keyboard or keypad of some sort for manually inputting commands into the devices. The most common form of keyboard is that of the common household and business PC keyboard and the most common form of keypad is that of a phone.
Referring to the keyboard, the most widely recommended method of input using one of the common keyboards in the xe2x80x9ctouch typingxe2x80x9d method. This method simply trains a user to memorise the keyboard layout so thoroughly that they may type using all their fingers without looking at the keyboard. This method is achieved by constant practice and assigning each finger to a particular groups of keys.
In particular, the xe2x80x9ctouch typingxe2x80x9d method places each respective finger lightly on a xe2x80x9chomexe2x80x9d key, for example, in the xe2x80x9cqwertyxe2x80x9d keyboard these home keys are xe2x80x9casdfxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cjkl;xe2x80x9d from left to right. The thumbs are than placed over the space. Each finger rests lightly on its home key and does not move unless it reaches to strike keys immediately above or below the home key or in the case of each of the index fingers, the keys immediately to the side of the home key, then the finger quickly returns to its home key. Thus, each finger has only certain keys that it should strike.
Untrained keyboard operators use what is called the xe2x80x9chunt and peckxe2x80x9d system. Usually they use only their two forefingers or at most their four best fingers, the forefingers and middle fingers. This method requires that the typist keeps their eyes on the keyboard and this affects productivity. Although some of these typists can type about as fast as touch typists, very fast hunt and peck typing is more tiring than for the touch typist because the hands have to leap all around the keyboard to reach all the keys with only two or four fingers. In summary, to xe2x80x9ckeyboardxe2x80x9d correctly, the typist must use the touch typing method described above. There is no middle ground in proper typing; if the typist is not typing correctly, he is typing incorrectly. Similar problems arise in the use of keypads.
In an attempt to overcome the shortenings of some of the prior art, many alternate shaped keyboards have been developed. One such keyboard is the KINESIS keyboard (for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,005,496 to Hargreaves, et al.) which describes a keyboard having two wells for the receipt of the right and left hands of a user. The advantage of such a keyboard is that the location of the wells allows a user""s arms to extend straight out in front of the user thereby reducing the need for the user to move his or her hands along the keyboard. However, these types of keyboards are complicated to operate and rely on the user to memorise key combinations and macros.
Many other patterns such as U.S. Pat. No. 1,823,130; U.S. Pat. No. 3,396,827; U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,723; U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,763 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,336, for example, describe keys for keyboards having top surfaces including longitudinal ridges, slots, rows of ridges, knobs, craters and texturing. Various combinations of texturing are also known.
Therefore, there still remains a need in the art for a keyboard and keypad that xe2x80x9cforcesxe2x80x9d a typist to touch type correctly thus reducing typing inaccuracies and so minimizing strain and effort.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate some of the disadvantages of the prior art, or at least to provide a useful alternative.
There is disclosed herein a key for a keyboard or keypad, said key having an upper finger engaged surface of generally square or rectangular configuration so as to have a top edge portion remote from a user, a bottom edge portion adjacent the user, a left edge portion and a right edge portion, said key further having:
a ridge adjacent said top edge portion or said bottom edge portion and extending longitudinally generally parallel thereto; and
a ridge on said left or said right edge portion.
There is further disclosed herein a keyboard or keypad including at least three rows of keys including a top row which is remote from a user, a middle row, and a bottom row which is adjacent the user, each row having at least three keys including a left and a right end key, each key having an upper finger engaged surface of generally square or rectangular configuration so as to have top and bottom edge portions extending generally parallel to the rows, and left and right edge portions extending generally normal to the rows, and wherein the keys include:
(i) a ridge on the top left end key adjacent the upper edge portion thereof extending generally parallel to the rows,
(ii) a ridge on the top left end key adjacent the left edge portion thereof extending generally normal to the rows,
(iii) a ridge on the bottom left end key adjacent the left edge portion thereof extending generally normal to the rows,
(iv) a ridge on the bottom left end key adjacent the bottom edge portion thereof extending generally parallel to the rows,
(v) a ridge on the bottom right end key adjacent the bottom edge portion thereof extending generally parallel to the rows,
(vi) a ridge on the bottom ridge end key adjacent the right edge portion thereof extending generally normal to the rows,
(vii) a ridge on the top right end key adjacent the right edge portion thereof extending generally normal to the rows, and
(viii) a ridge on the top right end key adjacent the upper edge portion thereof extending generally parallel to the rows.
There is still further disclosed herein a Qwerty keyboard having a plurality of alphanumeric keys arranged in three linear rows including a top row which is remote from a user, a middle row, and a bottom row which is adjacent the user, each row having a left and a right end key, each key having an upper finger engaged surface of generally square or rectangular configuration so as to have top and bottom edge portions extending generally parallel to the rows, and left and right side edge portions extending generally normal to the rows, the keys being positioned in a left first set and a right second set, the first set including the three left end keys and at least the next two adjacent keys of each row, the second set including the three right end keys and the next adjacent two or three keys spaced toward the first set so that the two sets are spaced by two, three or four keys, and wherein the keys of said first set include:
(i) a ridge on the top left end key adjacent the upper edge portion thereof extending generally parallel to the rows,
(ii) a ridge on the top left end key adjacent the left edge portion thereof extending generally normal to the rows,
(iii) a ridge on the middle left end key adjacent the left edge portion thereof extending generally normal to the rows,
(iv) a ridge on the bottom left end key adjacent the left edge portion thereof extending generally normal to the rows,
(v) a ridge on the bottom left end key adjacent the bottom edge portion thereof extending generally parallel to the rows,
(vi) a ridge on the next adjacent or next two adjacent keys to said bottom left end key of the bottom row adjacent the bottom edge portion thereof extending generally parallel to the rows,
(vii) a ridge on the next adjacent or next two adjacent keys to said bottom left end key of the bottom row adjacent the bottom edge portion thereof extending generally parallel to the rows,
(viii) a ridge on said last mentioned key adjacent the right edge portion thereof extending generally normal to the rows,
(ix) a ridge on the middle key next adjacent to said last mentioned key adjacent the right edge portion thereof extending generally normal to the rows,
(x) a ridge on the top key next adjacent said last mentioned key adjacent the right edge portion thereof extending generally normal to the rows,
(xi) a ridge on said last mentioned key adjacent the top edge portion thereof extending generally parallel to the rows,
(xii) a ridge on the or each top key between said last mentioned key and said top left end key adjacent the top edge portion thereof extending generally parallel to the rows, and
the keys of said second set include:
(i) a ridge on the top right end key adjacent the upper edge portion thereof extending generally parallel to the rows,
(ii) a ridge on the top right end key adjacent the right edge portion thereof extending generally normal to the rows,
(iii) a ridge on the middle key adjacent said top right key adjacent the right edge portion thereof extending generally normal to the rows,
(iv) a ridge on the bottom right end key adjacent the right edge portion thereof extending generally normal to the rows,
(v) a ridge on the bottom right end key adjacent the bottom edge portion thereof extending generally parallel to the rows,
(vi) a ridge on the next adjacent or next two adjacent keys to said bottom right end key of the bottom row adjacent the bottom edge portion thereof extending generally parallel to the rows,
(vii) a ridge on the next adjacent bottom key adjacent the bottom edge portion thereof extending generally parallel to the rows,
(viii) a ridge on said last mentioned key adjacent the left edge portion thereof extending generally normal to the rows,
(ix) a ridge on the middle key next adjacent to said last mentioned key adjacent the left edge portion thereof extending generally normal to the rows,
(x) a ridge on the top key next adjacent said last mentioned key adjacent the left edge portion thereof extending generally normal to the rows,
(xi) a ridge on said last mentioned key adjacent the top edge portion thereof extending generally parallel to the rows,
(xii) a ridge on the or each top key between said last mentioned key and said top right end adjacent the top edge thereof extending generally parallel to the rows.